The suit filed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) against AgriProcessors Incorporated led me to reflect upon the nature of the suit and indeed upon the relation of Orthodox Judaism to the notion of animal rights in general.
The essence of animal rights is the contention that all species are equal. Ingrid Newkirk founder of PETA and major spokes-specimen (can I rightfully call her a person?) for the animal rights movement has stated A pig is a boy is a rat is a dog.
This statement obviously cannot be construed as an acceptable tenet of Torah Judaism since Torah Judaism does not hold that all animals are equal: the description of the creation of animals in Bereshis the list of clean versus non-clean in Noach – even which animals are kosher and which are not given in the laws of kashrut – tell us that as Jews we make distinctions between species of animals. Certainly if we distinguish between hooved animals such as pigs and cows or ruminant animals such as camel and sheep we make distinctions between humans and livestock.
The Torah clearly tells us that humans and animals are different. The Torah distinguishes man from the animals explicitly stating that only man was created in the Divine image and that man was given dominion over the animals (Bereshis 1:26.). The very construction of tefillin and Torah and mezuzah scrolls requires parchment which must be made from hides not paper. Moreover the korbanos given at the Temple are described in detail including the number and kinds of animals and birds that compose acceptable offerings for the varied occasions. And what would a vegan shofar be made of?
Though we may comfort someone over the loss of a beloved animal we do not observe the same rituals in this circumstance that we do with the loss (God forbid) of a person. Nor do we bury our dead with their pets no matter how deeply the pets were loved by the deceased.
With respect to Shabbos and the Yom Tovim we have come to include meat and fish at meals during the course of the day or days. A minhag observed enough over time becomes like halacha and eating meat and fish on Shabbos and Yom Tov certainly has that status.
Many Orthodox vegetarians I have met quote Rav Kook zt l who held that in a perfect world we would not eat meat. But Rav Kook acknowledged that don’t live in a perfect world. The rav was referring to the anticipated state of affairs after techeis hameissim at which time most poskim opine we will not eat at all having been resurrected as spiritual beings.
Coming back to PETA the lust of this assemblage for sensationalism knows no bounds. In a recent campaign the organization advised If you wouldn’t eat your cocker spaniel don’t eat a grouper (quoted by Lee Raynor editor of The Kinston Free Press on November 17 2004 at http://www.kinston.com.) Want another example? How about PETA infiltrating schools (yeshivas too) to tell young students that their mothers kill animals? You can read about it at the Center for Consumer Freedom’s website (http://www.consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/headline/2616).
This sort of rhetoric should offend everyone across all levels of observance. By the way if you are toying with a vegan way of life because you read something from a group called the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) I’ve got a news flash for you – actual physicians comprise a vast minority of PCRM members. According to ActivistCash.com a project of the Center for Consumer Freedom While PCRM presents itself as a doctor-supported unbiased source of health guidance the group’s own literature admits that 95 percent of its members have no medical degrees.